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 Welcome to another packed parcel of scientific news, jokes, ideas and top tip-offs ... Ready? Here's what's inside: 01. THIS HOUSE BELIEVES ... in free debating resources for all! 02. MORE FREEBIES: Multi-purpose wallcharts and stickers 03. Activity of the Week: GREEN PENNIES 04. WORLD SPACE WEEK reaches Buckinghamshire 05. Mouses at the ready for a DAY OUT AT BLETCHLEY PARK 06. NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD #7: The Grand Canyon 07. RECOMMENDED WEBSITES OF THE WEEK 08. AWKWARD QUESTION - and answer 09. WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS 10. JOKES OF THE WEEK |
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01. FREE SCIENCE DEBATING RESOURCES
This House believes... that debating is good for both those kids that talk too much, and the ones that don't talk enough! The school debate is of course a traditional form of intellectual team wrestling, and if you're looking for meaty, up-to-date, subject matter you can do no better than 21st century science. So, to help you bring the ancient art of science to bear in your school or club, we've put together a downloadable debating kit, complete with hints and tips for teachers, Hogwarts-esque graphics, and pre-researched resources on a range of motions, namely: 1. This House believes pink Brussels sprouts should be on the school canteen menu. (The arguments for and against Genetic Modification of food.) 2. This House believes no invention has been better than sliced bread. (Slightly tongue in cheek this one, but gets you thinking about inventions past, present and future.) 3. This House believes in using the Three Little Pigs to grow a heart for the Tin Man. (Xenotransplantaion - life saver or just plain wrong?) 4. This House wants to clone Britain's top footballers to improve the standard of play! (Should we or shouldn't we - and would it even work?) There - it would be pretty hard to be opposed to that! Here's where you'll find it all: http://www.planet-science.com/sciteach/debating  |
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| 02. FREE PLANET SCIENCE WALLCHART AND STICKERS And there's more! What? Yes, MORE free stuff from Planet Science this week. Not only do we still have supplies available of super-groovy multicoloured stickers, but now there's a print-offable wallchart you can stick them to. Construct your own bespoke chart for any project that needs a graph - or just use it for keeping track of who's been awarded how many Planet Science for good behaviour. The chart comes in two downloadable bits, the "edge" bit, and the middle bit. Print off the two and decide how large you'd like your chart to be, then photocopy the appropriate number, trim and stick together. (Or if you're rich and don't mind using lots of printer ink, print the required number.) You could even shrink the chart on the photocopier if you need a smaller one. There are also a range of symbols you might find useful. See for yourself, and print off what you need at: http://www.planet-science.com/sciteach/wallchart For stickers to stick, or posters to send, visit: http://www.planet-science.com/sciteach/postcards Hurry hurry hurry - offer must end soon (ie. when we run out!) |
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| 03. ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK: GREEN PENNIES Ever seen a penny sweat green stuff? Well, it's not pretty, but it's pretty easy to arrange! You will need: * a saucer * some paper towels * vinegar * 3-5 pennies What to do: 1. Arrange the paper towels into a wad on your saucer. 2. Pour enough vinegar into the saucer to cover the paper towel. 3. Place the pennies on top of the wet paper towel and leave for a few hours. 4. Encourage observations; look at both sides of the pennies. The tops of the pennies turn green and the bottoms of the pennies stay copper coloured ... What's going on? Vinegar is an acid that has the chemical name of 'acetic acid'. Part of this acid combines with the copper of the pennies to form a green coating that is composed of copper acetate. Oxygen must be present for this chemical reaction to occur. Oxygen comes from the air, and this is why the tops of the coins turn green but the bottoms do not. |
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| 04. BLETCHLEY PARK GOES INTO ORBIT! If you're a teacher in the Buckinghamshire area, we have news of a series of astronomical schools' events taking place next month that might be just the thing for your class. The occasion is World Space Week (October 4 - 10) and the evocative location is Bletchley Park, or 'Station X' as it was once known ... During WW2, as you probably know, this was the top-secret home of many of the country's most high-powered and analytical minds, as they flexed their faculties and worked their pencils into a pulver to crack the codes used by the German military. Their efforts played a huge part in helping the Allies win the war, and in doing so, they also created the world's first programmable computer. 50 years later, the leafy grounds and Cluedo-style mansion have been reinvented as an education centre for the next generation of mathematicians, scientists and technologists. That's why in October they're holding a series of lectures on one of today's most intriguing areas of investigation: not enemy signals, but outer space. Again, great brains are being recruited from around the UK to explore and explain a variety of subjects to different age groups including: - an A Level lecture day when students will hear from top scientists about current research in astronomy and astrophysics - a GCSE space discovery day covering topics from eclipses to the possibility of life on other planets, as well as a presentation by top space-guru Chris Riley, the producer of BBC1's next big science epic, Space Odyssey - a KS3 Technology day where children will design, build and test Martian Rovers - a KS2/3 INSET day for Science Teachers led by Anita Heward, Director of the British Festival of Space - a family star-gazing evening More information about these events, dates, times and booking information can be found on the Bletchley Park web site at: http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/page.cfm?PageID=248 Alternatively, contact Vicki Bates on 01908 377519 or by email at: vbates@bletchleypark.org.uk And if you fancy a day out at Bletchley Park WITHOUT bringing a school class with you, read on ... |
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| 05. MOUSES AT THE READY FOR: BLETCHLEY PARK FAMILY PASSES Has all this talk of codebreaking and computing whetted your appetite? You can read more about Bletchley Park at http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk, and if you're lucky you could also pick up a free family pass to for a day's visit. Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Bletchley Park, we have four such family passes to give away and to get into the draw, all you need to do is send an email entitled I'M IN CODE MODE! to planetscience.news@nesta.org.uk. Remember to include a note of your name and address. The draw will take place at 5pm on Thursday. YRMA PUFW! (Translation: 'GOOD LUCK!) |
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| 06. NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD #7: Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA It's a canyon. And it's mighty grand. fThe western USA can boast the most spectacular gorge in the world. It's 277 miles long (447km), between 4 and 18 miles wide, and in places an amazing mile deep. It represents an impressive geological resource with the deepest layers of rocks dating back 2,000 million years to the Precambrian period. Geologists have studied the record extensively, likening the layers of rock to the leaves in a book of Earth's history. (One chapter title in this book, for example, is from a group made up of layers of sandstone, shale and limestone dating back 550 million years. It's called the Tonto group!) The layers of rock vary in shade and colour and their tones vary during the day, being especially impressive at sunrise and sunset. The layers exposed at the Canyon are the result of the Colorado River wearing away the rock over some 6 million years, thanks to fortuitous geological circumstances. The area has been uplifted since the end of the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago, by around 2 or 3 km but although massive earth moving often disturbs and mangles originally neat rock layers (indeed the Rocky Mountains to the west were formed in this period), the rocks that form the Grand Canyon were relatively undisturbed by this upheaval, and managed to stay pretty much horizontal. Meanwhile, the uplift had the effect of increasing the gradient of the Colorado River down to the sea, and hence its erosive power which has since been at work over a relatively undisturbed and lengthy stretch of time to sculpt this superlative Canyon. The Canyon is getting grander by the year, but at a slower rate now than previously. In recent times human activity such as the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam has reduced the amount of water and sediment carried by the Colorado River. This means the erosive power of the river is less than it used to be. The height of the Canyon means that a number of different climate zones are represented within it. You can go from desert to snowy mountain, with accompanying changes in flora and fauna. Many rare species are to be found, including plains cactus, bobcat, mountain lion and a kind of rattlesnake found nowhere else. Want to see for yourself? Here are a few good websites to look at: The Grand Canyon National Park was one of the first in the USA. The park homepage is at http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm This natural wonder has been a World Heritage Site since 1979. Besides the geological splendour, UNESCO prizes the rich cultural heritage. The area contains over 2,500 documented prehistoric ruins. More details here: http://www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas Only pictures can really do the Canyon justice. How's visibility today? See a Canyon webcam at: http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/ |
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| 07. RECOMMENDED WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Last week newsletter reader Mark Daly contacted us with a request for information on some science-related websites that would make full use of his brand new broadband connection. We were instantly contacted by Peter Stidwill at Cambridge University, who recommended ENGINEERING INTERACT, a site, funnily enough, created by ... Cambridge University! Anyway - we've had a good look around (in fact got rather immersed for a while there) and can report that it's brilliant. Exactly what a broadband user might enjoy, particularly if they want to investigate the laws of physics, discover more about engineering, or enjoy tracking down and eliminating evil aliens that are attempting to destroy our planet... The colour and quality of the games and other resources on the site might at first glance give the impression that this is way too much fun to be a serious educational resource, but it would appear that the games have been cleverly retro-fitted around English National Curriculum science ... ingenious, huh? And very useful for teachers and reluctant kids alike. For teachers, there are notes on exactly which points in the curriculum are addressed in which resource. But hey who cares about that when it's a question of grappling with the evil Sea Serpent who's stolen our mermaid-heroine's voice? Or stopping Dr Volt before he pulls the plug on Silicone City. Quick! There's no time to lose! Here's the url: http://www.engineeringinteract.org (Thanks for a great recommendation, Peter.) Another good site for kids with broadband is BRAINPOP, a phenomenal collection of animated movies about various scientific, technological and health topics, including (deep breath): Glaciers, dyslexia, fuel cells, gravity, respiration, photography, Jupiter, Lyme disease, flight, the lifecycle of stars, measurement, homeostasis, broken bones, anthrax, acids and bases, fossils, submarines ... and literally dozens more. Have a look - it's an American site, so naturally you need to switch your in-head translator on when it comes to 'cell phones' and 'color' etc, but it's an amazing resource whatever language it's in, and overall we think you'll like it! PS seems like a good moment to mention that there is of course a full listings library of Planet Science recommended sites here. |
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08. AWKWARD QUESTION OF THE WEEK |
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| 09. WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS The draw for a three month subscription to the new 'Young Scientist' magazine proved extremely popular, in fact entries are still being received. But the official cut-off was 5pm yesterday, when the following three winners were randomly selected: Ruth Young, a Year 3 Teacher from Bristol Anne Cassell from Hove in Sussex Linda McCormick from Tavistock in Devon Congratulations to all of you, your subscriptions are already in the pipeline. |
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| 10. JOKE OF THE WEEK Feeling creative? Nancy Dobson has been in touch with a challenge (and a few free samples...) She says, "This is sort of hard to print because I can't do superscript on my e-mails, but I've been thinking about a series of jokes based around Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which I would have to type as E = MC(2). So along that vein here's a few: Einstein's Theory of Junkfood E = MC (Donald's) Einstein's Theory of Boybands E = MC (Fly) Einstein's Theory of Rappers E = MC (Hammer) And one which I saw on a t-shirt on holiday: Einstein's Theory of Music E = F (flat) "Anyone got any more?" asks Nancy. If so, send them to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk - any good ones will appear here next week. (OK, and all mediocre ones too!) We may even be able to rustle up a prize for the best one ... Meanwhile, another of our regular joke-mongers, Chris Parry, has been in touch with a few classroom classics he picked up from the US. Teacher: You aren't paying attention to me. Are you having trouble hearing? Pupil: No, teacher I'm having trouble listening! Teacher: When you yawn, you're supposed to put your hand to your mouth! Pupil: What? And get bitten?! Teacher: Class, we will have only half a day of school this morning. Class: Hooray Teacher: We will have the other half this afternoon! Pupil (on phone): My son has a bad cold and won't be able to come to school today. School Secretary: Who is this? Pupil: This is my father speaking! Teacher: You missed school yesterday didn't you? Pupil: Not very much! - o - O - o - That's all for this week, but as the Olympic softball commentator so aptly put it: "If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again." Next Friday in fact. If you have any contributions or ideas for that or any future editions of the newsletter, please send them to Anne McNaught on anne.mcnaught@nesta.org.uk. Many thanks to Emma Lewis for compiling and writing the newsletter for the last three weeks, very much appreciated by all at Planet Science. Have a great week! |
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